


the most beautiful place in the world is with you

by mudamom



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game), ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 | JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken | JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Pillar Men are only mentioned, Set in America, Stardew Valley AU, awkward confessions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-14
Updated: 2019-12-14
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:20:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21785857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mudamom/pseuds/mudamom
Summary: Joseph Joestar is and has always been a fairly wealthy American city boy. That’s all he’s ever known. Two years ago, his grandfather (and one of the main caretakers of the infamous Joseph) has passed away, leaving him a farm. Only, that farm comes with a certain blonde, Caesar Zeppeli. This is tale about how the man became a successful farmer (and fell in love).
Relationships: Joseph Joestar/Caesar Anthonio Zeppeli
Comments: 4
Kudos: 56





	the most beautiful place in the world is with you

**Author's Note:**

> hello! i hope you enjoy this one shot! it’s a big long, i know. it’s very soft and i really love the idea of them being farmers together in stardew valley. please enjoy!

First and foremost, Joseph was always a city boy. He grew up with both of his loving grandparents, Erina Joestar and Jonathan Joestar. Because of his missing parents, who were both presumed dead, they had raised and took care of the young man. However, he had grown up to be a fine young boy, always cunning and childish. He had gotten a boring life in the big city. There wasn’t anything he truly enjoyed, at least, not enough to say that he did. That would soon change, however.

With the passing of his grandfather, he hid away a note that was given to him right before his death. This was two years ago. He had passed away from old age, surrounded by loved ones. He had said to only open the letter in times of need; when the life of the city was getting far too boring. Sure, he had friends in the city, but they rarely talked. He didn’t have the dream girlfriend that he had thought he would get either. So, times were truly starting to grow dull and exhausting for him. He rarely got any form of enjoyment.

The letter was placed away in the top drawer of his own personal desk. So, he pulled it out and stared at it for a while. Memories of his grandfather came flooding back. He had gotten over his death since it was already a while, but he was still slightly grief-stricken when looking at it. Regardless, he swallowed the lump in his throat and pulled out the letter. It was still white as when he had first received it. The red sticker with a decorative rose design was also stuck onto the paper, holding the opening together. So, he carefully peeled it off and opened it up, taking out the piece of paper attached. He also collected a few dollar bills and a key. What was all of this for?

Eyes scanning over the letter, he looked at it in slight shock. A farm? He had never really seen Jonathan as the type to farm. Rather, he saw him as a successful owner of a corporation. Maybe this was where he grew up and had kept the land to himself, waiting for a moment like this. Well, the dollars were probably just enough for a bus ticket to this new farm that he was hearing of. The key must have been to the country-side house he used to live on.

So, after work, he (as quickly as he could) resigned from his job. This was probably going to be a mistake and would have to work somewhere else, running back to the city. After all, being a farmer sounded like hard work. The letter had also mentioned that someone was living there, taking care of himself. The guy, from whatever his grandfather had written, sounded nice and pleasant to listen to. Hopefully, that would be something he could vouch for. Regardless, he continued on with the plan. Joseph packed up his things at his apartment before walking to a bus stop nearby. The bus that would take him to his destination was supposed to arrive in a few minutes, and when it did, he was the only one to actually get on it. He supposed that this wasn’t a very popular place, as he had never heard of it before. In fact, no one in his life had mentioned this place, so it must have been very quiet.

The bus ride was a long one, taking more than just a few hours. The bus seemed to be a special one, as he didn’t think that most buses would actually go out here. Maybe it was once a week sort of thing, but the bus didn’t stop. He took a nap on the way there, which was relatively peaceful. When he woke up, the bus lady was shaking him awake, telling him that the bus had stopped and they were there. So, he had gotten out with his luggage. It looked like she had gotten out as well. So, like any normal person, he gave her a questioning look. She looked back at him with a heavy sigh. “Bus’ broken. Can’t do a thing about it, ain’t gonna work for a while.”

“Really? That’s… sad,” he said, looking at the bus. There was a bit of smoke coming out of it, from what he could see. Otherwise, it looked to be in fine condition. Even the coloring of it looked cleaned off and fresh. Paying little attention to the brown down vehicle, he moved along, walking down and towards the path. He could see a man who he had never met before, just standing there. He seemed to be looking down at something in his pocket. From where he was standing, it seemed to be a golden pocket watch. When the man looked up, he seemed eager to come and help, seeing as started walking to where he was.

“Ah, are you Joseph? JoJo used to tell me all about you in conversations!” he said, grinning brightly. The situation was more than awkward for him, especially since he wasn’t used to talking with people from out of his city. Then again, he probably could barely even name anyone from where he used to live. Just his small friend group and a few others. “Oh, forgive me. My name is Robert E.O. Speedwagon. You can just call me Speedwagon, though. That’s what everyone here calls me. The mayor of this small, but lovely town.”

“How… do you know my grandpa?” Joseph asked, taken aback at the sudden friendliness. This was something he was certainly going to have to get used to. After all, he was never expecting people to be so open towards a conversation. Most people he would have met would usually say a few words and go on their way. This must have been one of those country town things.

“Oh, your grandfather? He was a good friend of mine when we were younger. He used to live here when we were children, actually. His father had a lot of money from what I remember. Anyway, I’ll take you to your farm. Caesar can take the rest from there,” Speedwagon said, starting to turn right and down that trail. From behind a few trees, he could see what looked like a wooden house in the distance. Well, if he was going to help, he might as well follow. So, he started wheeling his luggage behind him, walking along the path.

Everything was so vibrant and green compared to where he had come from. The big city was dull and gray, full of tall buildings that obstructed most of the view. But everything here seemed to be full of color. He could see animals all around, but they had run away from sight after he spotted them. They must have been scared of someone like Joseph. After all, he was muscular and tall, due to his genetics and going to the gym frequently. He spotted birds in trees with their nests, a rare sight back at home. He also saw wildflowers which must have been growing naturally. The wind blew through his hair, rustling the leaves above his head and the grass below his feet. It seemed like this would have been a peaceful life.

When they got closer, he was a bit surprised. There were so many sunflowers that towered even over him. They must have been huge, judging from his own height. Speedwagon stopped in front of the flowers, looking towards Joseph. “He must be in these flowers somewhere. After all, he’s always taking care of them. Would you be willing to go find him for me?”

“Oh! Uh, sure. Whatever you need,” he smiled before setting down his suitcase. He started walking into the flowers, carefully brushing them to the side. After a few steps forward, he looked back to see nothing but green and yellow. The stalks of the sunflowers looked dense and thick. When he continued walking through, he found himself getting lost in his own thoughts. Who was the one growing these flowers? It must have been a man, judging from the way that Speedwagon spoke of him, but he wondered who exactly this person was. They must have had a green thumb and a knack for being able to understand the plants so well. Joseph had tried to grow some plants back in his own apartment, but could never seem to make it quite right.

He heard a rustling through the sunflowers. It was a bit farther away, so he continued to push his way through. Being careful not to snap the sunflowers, he made sure that his steps were as elegant as possible. Though, that wasn’t saying much, considering that he could be ignorant of his surroundings and just plain clumsy at some points in time. Once he pushed through far enough to hear the rustling right next to him, he turned his head to see someone. At first, his eyes widened, stunned. This guy wasn’t someone he was expecting to see. Blonde hair, shining green eyes. He wore an unusual outfit as well. It was mainly a lighter shade of blue, but that wasn’t what caught his eyes. It was those birthmarks on his upper cheeks, a tad bit off to the side. They almost seemed to frame his eyes just perfectly. The guy noticed him, taking a good look before giving him a questioning look. Joseph started to speak, a bit flustered that he was staring. “Ah! Uh, are you an angel? I mean, ‘cause you got those weird funky marks on your cheeks. And aren’t angels supposed to have some sort of symbol on their faces?”

It was silent for a few seconds. The guy looked even more confused now, furrowing his eyebrows in his questioning look. After a few more moments went by without any words and big movements, he sighed. “No, I’m not an angel. Where do you even get things like that from? I tend to this farm.”

“Yeah, I can see that. But, you look so… weird? Like, I don’t know how to explain it,” he said, fumbling around with his words. Anything else but that should have come out of his mouth. He couldn’t think of anything witty or generally fun to say. The man was angelic, handsome and downright stunning. But of course, he didn’t want to mention that to someone out loud. Especially after they had just met for the first time.

“Thank you for calling me weird, I guess. Anyway, I’m assuming you’re new here. Speedwagon had told me that we were getting someone new to the village. I’m Caesar Zeppeli. I’ve been taking care of Jonathan Joestar’s farm for quite some time, now,” he said, straightening his back while carrying a handful of flowers. How did they know he was coming? Maybe it was from Erina since he had called her and told her that he was moving. She must have known this town and told the mayor that he was coming. He was very thankful for her sometimes.

“Oh, you know my Grandpa? I’m Joseph,” he said, grinning brightly. It wasn’t every day where he met someone who was fairly attractive, so he wanted to make a good first impression. But with the way his face looked seemingly uncomfortable, that didn’t seem to be going out so well. His beauty seemed to enhance when he fully turned towards him, holding the sunflowers close to his chest. 

“Oh, you’re related to Mr. Joestar? I knew of him having a grandchild, but I never thought that he would be so…” he trailed off, looking down at his flowers. What was that supposed to mean? Sure, he wasn’t as sophisticated as his grandfather. Heck, he wasn’t usually nice to those that he didn’t care for. Though, he wondered if he was thinking about some unwanted terms for him.

“What’s that supposed to mean?! I know I made it kind of awkward at first, but I’m not that bad!” he said, pressing his lips together. This guy was already starting to piss him off and they had barely just met. Who knows what else he was going to say. Actually, he had his own little trick up his sleeve that allowed for him to be able to closely read others. He could even tell what they were about to say, but he didn’t use that trick unless he wanted to annoy someone. Or, he could use it now to have the guy off track, but he decided not to.

“For now, I beg to differ. I don’t think you picked up any of your grandfather’s traits,” he said, blatantly. Joseph knew that he was very different from his grandfather. Instead of being calm and rational like him, he tended to be over-the-top and energetic. Well, at least he thought that he was decently smart and could make some of his friends laugh. That’s what mattered to him. Jonathan also made others laugh and smile around him, especially Erina. That’s one trait that he had picked up from him.

“Yeah, I do! I’m nice and smart!” he argued, furrowing his own brows in slight aggravation. This blonde man sure was getting on his nerves. They seemed to have nothing in common, just irritating and thought that he was superior because he was staying there. Didn’t Joseph technically own the land now that his grandfather had passed? Hey, if he owned the land, then that meant that he could enforce some rules, right? Though, this guy seemed to be interesting, so he didn’t think about actually using those rules any time soon.

“Well, obviously, that’s not working out so well for you right now. Anyway, you wanted me to show you around the house?” he asked. Though, he didn’t stay to wait for a reply. Instead, he started to head out of the flower field. He probably expected him to follow him, but he still had to go back to get his luggage. Well, he could get it when they got out of the jungle of sunflowers. So, he trailed behind closely, trying to stay near him as to not get lost. 

Once they emerged from the flowers, Joseph went to grab his bag from Speedwagon. The elder man and Caesar talked for a minute or two before he left, leaving the two young men alone. From there, it was on to the house tour. The house wasn’t too big, a modest size for two people living together. The wooden exterior walls seemed thick enough to keep heavy rains and winds out, but the interior walls were thinner but still sturdy. Everything seemed to be relatively cleaned and had its own place. There was a living room with a nice but old-fashioned looking couch. It even had a functional television, which he wasn’t sure this far out into the country would have. Though, there were really only three channels that had worked out here. He was then lead to a big room with a king-sized bed. That must have been the room he was going to stay in. It was empty aside from a desk and drawers. He wheeled his luggage in and set it down before walking with Caesar. It looked like they would be living together. Although he was annoying, he didn’t have the heart to just kick him out because they didn’t get along the first time around. 

As soon as that was finished, he trailed back into his room to unpack everything and relax after a long night on the bus. There were so many things going through his mind, he wondered what to even make of it. How was everyone else going to react? He didn’t even meet everyone else yet, but he wanted to. Maybe in a little bit, he could go meet them. For now, he took this time to settle himself down. He just hoped that the two living in the same house would get along fairly well.

\-------

“JoJo? Are you awake?” a voice sounded out from outside his bedroom door. It was early. Much too early for his liking. He had already been there for a week, just settling down. He wondered why Caesar was trying to wake him up so early. Curse him for doing so. Igt was annoying. Regardless, he would have to open the door to show that he was actually just starting to get up. So, he rolled to sit up and pushed himself off the bed, trudging towards the wooden door before opening it.

Caesar looked wide awake and serious as ever. He was always serious, that was just how his personality was. He had only really seen a serious side to him. In fact, he didn’t think that he saw the other man ever rest. He was usually out running errands for others. Or, he was on the farm, tending to the various amounts of plants. Especially the sunflowers. Perhaps those were his favorite. “I mean, I was sleeping. You woke me up. Why’d you wake me up so early?”

“Weren’t you the one who said you would help out on the farm?” he retorted. Oh, right. He did say that he was going to help out on the farm today. It was last night while they were eating dinner. He had always noticed that he seemed to be tired, but never took a genuine break. Since he was such a nice person, he figured that he could help him out with the daily chores of tending to the farm. Some of the plants had sprinklers, however, they would have to water the rest by hand and pull out any weeds that were deemed harmful. That was what he learned so far, from what the other male had told him.

“Oh, yeah. So what do I do?” Joseph asked. After all, he never had to get his hands dirty like this. It was very interesting to him, though. The food that Caesar cooked was always using the fruits and vegetables that they grew on the farm. They always tasted so fresh and new, compared to the ingredients that you could find in a supermarket. He had tried to help out in the cooking side of the housework, but he ended up burning the food and almost the entire house itself. Now, he was on a ban from the kitchen. No touching the stove unless he absolutely needed to. Though, he didn’t have much of a reason to actually want to touch a stove in the first place.

“For starters, you should get ready. Put on something that you don’t really care for all too much. Yes, we have overalls that I can give you, but your clothes will probably end up getting dirty regardless of how much you try to protect yourself,” he said, gesturing to his own clothes. So maybe that’s why he always had a weird sense of style? It was nothing like he had ever seen before, but it was pretty funny to tease him about it every once in a while.

“Oh, yeah. I’ll do that. Just wait for me!” he grinned before quickly shutting the door. He didn’t know if he would actually wait, considering that he normally just went straight into work. He hoped that he would wait, though. After all, the man seemed genuinely tired all the time and needed someone to help out with at least some chores. Even if he didn’t know what he was doing, he wanted to try and help out. At least if he could prove that he was somewhat useful, he could help out the other villagers as well. They always were asking for Caesar to help them find something they lost or for some of his crops and materials. The blonde was always generous enough to give back to the community who had helped him out when first starting. At least, that’s what Joseph assumed.

He gathered an outfit together. It was just a regular shirt with some sweatpants. It wasn’t like he cared about these particular set of clothes, so if he had to work on the farm, he felt like it was okay to get these dirty. He also made sure that he brushed his teeth and washed his face before heading out. There, he saw the blond sitting on the couch, watching the news. He must have been watching for the weather that day, as well as for the next. “Oh, you waited!”

“Huh? Oh, yes. I figured that you wouldn’t know where the gear was. There’s some boots in the closet with a pair of overalls. Just put those on over your clothes. You might also want to wear something like a hat. It gets hot out during the day,” he said, already dressed up in his bright yellow boots and light blue overalls. Going over to the aforementioned closet, he slipped on his own pair of dark green boots and put the light blue overalls over his clothes. Once he came back to Caesar, they went outside.

There was a small shed with all the tools in them. The shed was made out of old and dusty bricks, unlike the cozy small house they lived in. There were a few selections of tools on the wall. From hoes to watering cans, he saw Caesar pick up two buckets, handing one to him. Of course, he took it and started helping him out with getting tools, pulling them off their racks on the walls. He then put some of them into the bucket and carried a few smaller ones in his other hand, taking it over to the farm.

It was just starting to get bright out by the time they made it. Sunrise was quickly approaching, so they would have to work fast. The blonde male pulled out hoe, starting to show Joseph what to do as he squatted down. “Okay, so what you’re going to want to do is carefully move the stem to the side and pull out anything that’s a weed next to it. If it’s not a weed, don’t pull it out. I’m sure you can figure out which ones are weeds and which ones aren’t, right?”

“Uh, sure I can! I’ll just ask you if I don’t know,” he grinned before settling down onto his knees and pulled out the weeds. It was a few silent minutes of pulling out weeds, tossing them into the bucket, and going back to repeat the same process. Eventually, he got bored with the silence. “Hey, Caesarino?”

“Don’t call me that. But, what?” he asked, glancing over at the brunette for a few seconds before deciding to get back to work. After all, he would have been wasting precious time if he sat there looking at the other for too long. Yes, he was pleasing to the eye, but he didn’t need some dumb guy distracting him.

“Well, I was wondering. Why did you come here in the first place? I mean, it’s kind of boring here. Well, it’s not boring for me ‘cause I used to live in the city. That place’s super boring. But, I was just wondering if you could tell me why?” Joseph asked, giving Caesar a pleading look. He was nosy for sure, always wanting to butt his head into someone’s business, even if he didn’t belong there. It was that curiosity that sometimes got him into major trouble.

“Why did I come here? I guess I can tell you some of it. I grew up in Italy, fending for myself, maybe when I was fifteen. The life I lived there wasn’t something that made me happy. It certainly didn’t make anyone else happy, either. So, I moved here, to the countryside of America. I just so happened to find this nice town that your grandfather used to live in,” he explained while focusing on his work, pulling out weeds as dirt caked his hands. The brunette could understand that. Maybe his life was hard, but he didn’t want to pressure him too far and step over clear boundaries. So, he let out an affirmative hum before going quiet and focusing once more.

\---------

Finally, work on the farm had finished. The sun was high up in the sky, its rays reaching towards Joseph’s tanned skin. He was sweaty, alright. Sitting out here in the sun was something that he wasn’t looking forward to, but, he did feel accomplished after working so hard. Caesar, however, seemed to be busy. He was at the mailbox near their house as Joseph sat on the steps of their shared porch, waiting to cool off. He found himself staring as the blonde read through the mail. It was a bit odd, how he would read all the mail by the box, but maybe that was also a country thing.

“JoJo, you should come with me to run errands,” Caesar said, putting a folded up paper into one of the front pockets of the overalls. Oh, that was fantastic. Now, he wanted him to do some more work. Well, he still had yet to meet the others in this town. He figured that he should be friendly and meet them, but at the same time, he wanted to approach them with caution. After all, he wasn’t the best in all social situations, but he did love making friends and being social. Hopefully, he didn’t make himself seem weird and awkward.

“What? Aw, c’mon! We just did so much work, aren’t we going to take a break?” Joseph complained. He was the type of person who wanted to take a break constantly, even if he technically didn’t need one. Though, he was sweaty and wanted to take a shower at least before going out to meet the neighbors. He leaned back on the steps and grinned over at him, hoping that he would agree that both of them needed a shower. Especially since they probably had dirt all over their clothes and hands. They most likely wouldn’t want to interact with the two while they were caked in mud and dirt. Though, they probably knew that they owned a farm as well, so that was probably why Caesar didn’t think of it to be much of a problem. “Besides, shouldn’t we shower before heading out?”

“A shower? Everyone already knows we work on a farm. They also know you’re here since Mr. Speedwagon told the entire town,” he said, pushing his hair away from his sweaty forehead. Truly, he looked pretty like this. Almost like a statue that he could see in a museum. With the sun hitting his features just right, it made Joseph grin softly.

“Yeah! We probably smell gross. Plus, you got some dirt on your face,” he said, adding his own touch of a teasing tone. Poking a bit of fun at the blonde couldn’t be too bad. Besides, he tended to lose his temper easily, which made it all the more fun to try and watch him snap. He figured that he was calmer today after getting help, seeing as he didn’t make a comment about the smudge of dirt that he had pointed out.

“Right, we’ll wash up and then go. You still have to meet everyone. They’ve been asking where you are,” he said, closing the lid of the mailbox and leaving to go up the steps. Joseph followed suit, closing the door as they both went inside. Caesar turned to look behind him, facing towards the brunette. Even now, those little pink marks underneath his eyes were remarkable. “Are you washing up first?”

“Oh, yeah! I’ll wash up first and you can go after,” he said, grinning brightly before going to his room to grab his clothes. Of course, he grabbed a blue shirt and a red jacket, along with a pair of tan pants and a belt. Taking his time in the shower, he thought about the other villagers he was about to meet. What would they say when they met him? He could play a few jokes on them and get a good laugh out of it. It might work, but he wasn’t too sure. Well, as long as no one was too mad at him, then everything would have been relatively fine.

Getting out of the shower, he quickly dried himself off and put on the clothes, emerging with wet hair that dripped water from the tips. As Caesar saw him coming around the corner, he started to go to his room so that he could quickly grab his own clothes. However, he stopped in his tracks, watching his hair drip with water while he held a towel around his neck. A grumble slipped past his lips before he pulled the towel and rubbed his head with it, earning a surprised noise from the other. Before he could complain, he started speaking. “You can’t even dry your hair properly before we go out. At least make sure it’s not dripping wet.”

“Yeah, yeah! I got it, so stop that,” he complained as he tried to push his hands away from his head. However, the older male wouldn’t give up so easily. Instead, he ruffled through his hair harder. Soon, Joseph found himself laughing at the gesture. It felt like Erina used to do for him when he was a small child. He remembered sitting in her lap and getting his hair dried off while she told him stories of her youth, which was always interesting and amusing to listen to, especially the fun stories with Jonathan. “You feel like a mom or something.”

“Well, if you actually dried your hair off properly, I wouldn’t have to do this,” he gritted out through his teeth. The younger of the two lowered his head so it would be easier for Caesar to reach the back of his head. Once his hair was no longer sopping wet and, instead, was damp and stuck onto his forehead, the blonde passed back the towel and went back to his room. He emerged for a few seconds with clothes in his arms before going to the bathroom.

Being a self-entertaining individual such as himself, he started to go into the living room to watch whatever was on the television. Unsurprisingly, there weren’t many channels. Though, he saw one that held the words “fortune teller” in it, which was highly intriguing to him. Grabbing the remote, he switched from the news channel to watch someone getting their fortune told on the screen. A tarot card was pulled from the mistress’s hands as she laid five cards down on the table. She explained that this was supposed to represent good luck and fortune. Joseph wondered if this meant that he was going to get good luck as well. Hopefully, that meant he was the greatest luck.

Once the Italian had come out of the bathroom, Joseph’s boredom had washed away like footprints on the beach. He found himself reaching for the remote to turn the TV off. Once it had shut off, he stood up, looking at the blonde. He was without his headband, for the time being. Of course, he had seen him without the headband, but he looked pretty even without it on. Maybe he was just charmed to have good looks. Whatever, it wasn’t like he could control it. “Are we going?”

“Yeah. Ms. Lisa Lisa wants me to pick up a few things for her. She just wants some wood dropped off to her house, she’ll just pay us back when we drop it off. Suzie Q probably just wants to see you since you’re new here. Stroheim wants some minerals, we have that here as well. Smokey would probably like to just see you as well,” Caesar explained. Those must have been the villagers that lived there. It was exciting, finally being able to meet these people. It made him want to run to see them, though, he would probably be brought along to help carry what was needed.

“That sounds mildly exciting. Hopefully, it’s better than just doing farm chores all day,” he said, shifting to stand up. He walked over to the door and made his way outside. Grabbing some chopped up logs of wood, which was about four to five pieces, he shoved them underneath his arms. It should have been enough, considering that there were two people with fairly large arms and hands. He also grabbed a clean bucket from the table, watching the blonde come out. Taking the bucket from the younger man, he started collecting minerals from the back so that Stroheim could observe them when he got the chance to. Plus, they could upgrade what they were already using for tools. Getting a new and stronger tool sounded much better. After all, the tools that he was using earlier were a bit worn down.

Once they collected everything, they started heading towards the path to the town. It was somewhat strange, how there was only one house in their area. Beyond the hill was the workshop, but Caesar just considered it to be normal, seeing as farmlands needed more space to be able to grow what was needed. They were growing all sorts of fruits and vegetables that tasted good, especially when used correctly in certain dishes. Most of the dishes that he knew of were from Italy, his family’s recipes always came to mind when cooking. Astonishingly, they always seemed to impress the brunette to a degree that he would never understand. Yes, he knew that he was terrible at cooking, but he didn’t think his own cooking deserved such an overreaction.

The birds were still out, chirping away as the wind blew through his hair. The headband he normally wore was tied loosely around his head, keeping his forehead from getting too sweaty while working. Of course, it was unavoidable, seeing as he worked as a farmer. But, he could prevent at least a little bit of it by wearing the purple and yellow patterned headband. It was something that he had made when he was smaller, maybe when he was a young child. He couldn’t quite remember exactly when he made it, but it was at a similar time. He looked around at the bright green grass, trying to look for anything of any value that he could pick up along the way. He usually would deliver some flowers to Suzie Q and Ms. Lisa Lisa as a thank you gift for all that they had done for him. However, he didn’t have much time to be thinking about that now. Joseph, ironically, was the main priority for him. Maybe it was because of how chaotic he could get when he wasn’t paying attention. Or he just liked to watch the man do what he wanted without any care in the world. Regardless of what the answer was, he was focusing himself more on the man in front of him rather than any silly flowers or much of the beautiful nature around them.

First, it was a trip to Stroheim’s place so they could drop off the minerals. It would have been smarter to drop off the wood first, but since that was the closest place to their house, he didn’t bother with thinking about it too much. The pathway took them across the bridge and to the blacksmith. Caesar walked in first, having Joseph pass the bucket to him as he set it on the table. “We’re here, Stroheim.”

“Ah! You brought what I asked for?” he asked, turning around from the furnace fire and back towards the two young men. He was surprised to see the brunette at first but settled in his seat as he looked at the bucket in hand. He grabbed the bucket and moved it towards a bigger bucket, which held more minerals that he had yet to study and test. “Oh, is this Joseph Joestar? Your new roommate, something like that.”

“You’d be correct. I was bringing him along with me to meet everyone in town,” he said, adjusting the wooden logs in hand. After Stroheim had put the minerals that he wanted into the larger bucket, he handed it back. Caesar placed a log in there, just so it made the load a little easier on him. His shoulders relaxed and he looked back at Joseph, who seemed fascinated with the furnace. Of course, it wasn’t something that the city boy had used in his life. It was so intriguing to him, how the fire burned and flickered at random.

“Well, if you need anything, just come to me. After all, I make the best tools in the entire town! I’ll pay you for whatever minerals you find. It might take me a few days to process other things, though,” he said, walking over to the furnace that Joseph had his eyes glued on. There was a metal rod sticking in there, so he poked the fire inside. That seemed to scare him off to where he backed up. A chuckle came from him as he moved the stick around some more to make sure that the coal was burning evenly. “You scared of a little fire like this?”

“Well, I mean…” he said, trailing off. For the first time in a long while, he had no idea what to say in this sort of situation. After all, he hadn’t expected to be startled with the threat of fire. The guy seemed to be suspicious enough, carrying around a metal rod that was flaming hot didn’t seem safe in any situation like this. He also saw that his eye was replaced with a red prosthetic eye instead.

“Don’t tease him. He’s a city boy, wouldn’t be used to this stuff. In any case, we should be leaving. There are a few more people that we should see before I drop this off at Ms. Lisa Lisa’s shop,” Caesar said, waving the best he could with logs in between his arms. He opened the door, which Joseph took first. He didn’t object to that. Even he sometimes thought that the man could get a bit strange and even bizarre at some points in time. Though, they weren’t close, so he normally left him alone.

Wandering back across the bridge, they found themselves near a trailer. It seemed small, but he figured that the young boy was inside. The blonde knocked on the door, the sound of pounding metal resonated. A few quiet moments later, someone opened the door. It was a small, dark-skinned boy. He seemed a bit nervous to see Caesar. After all, he wasn’t friends with most of the people in town. The kid was normally quite tense and didn’t seem to want to interact with someone as shady as him. Though, he saw Joseph in the back and gave a shocked look. “JoJo? You came here? I thought you would have stayed in the city.”

“Hey! Smokey! How’ve you been? But, yeah. I moved out ‘cause things got boring. Didn’t think I’d see you here!” Joseph cheered. They had been friends ever since high school, but he couldn’t remember exactly when they had met. After he saved him from getting beat up by some cops after he had taken his wallet, they had become close and hung out at each other’s houses. Smokey, however, moved away shortly after they had graduated and left the brunette alone. It was nice to see a familiar face within the small country town.

“You two know each other? Well, I guess I don’t need to do introductions now. Anyway, how have you been?” Caesar asked, looking down at Smokey. He hadn’t seen him outside in quite some time, so he figured that he was busy with something. At least, he should make an attempt to see if he would open up. Of course, he looked a bit awkward when speaking to the blonde.

“Oh! Uh, I’m fine, thank you. You seem good, right?” Smokey asked, smiling politely up at the man. He didn’t think that he was very comfortable, suddenly being put on the spot like this. The Italian, on the other hand, didn’t mind answering any questions that he had. He seemed to be nervous about facing him, which wasn’t something he figured that he shouldn’t worry over. His days of committing crimes were long left behind.

“I’m good, thank you for asking. I suppose that we should get out of your way. I’m showing JoJo around to meet everyone else,” Caesar said. They said their goodbyes and went on their way. Next, it was Suzie Q’s house. She worked as Stardew Valley’s doctor, fixing wounds that others might have gotten from who knows what. The two young blondes were like siblings, always arguing and joking around with each other. Being around her had relaxed him quite a bit. They had known each other for quite some time and he would often stop at her office just to make sure that she was doing well. Of course, she was always in high spirits. A chipper and beautiful girl like her would have made a great wife to whoever she wanted to marry.

Once they got to her medical clinic, Caesar opened the door, expecting her to be at the front desk. Sure enough, she was there, looking at documents of patients she had recently. She turned her head up to first see the familiar blonde. Her face seemed to brighten at that, but she also noticed the taller brunette there. She had never seen his face before, so he must have been the new person in town. She had heard of the name Joseph Joestar going around, which must have been a new person. He was quite handsome and charming in his own little ways, she could definitely see that on him. A bright smile appeared on her face, standing up to come over to them. “Oh, you must be Joseph! I kept hearing Mr.Speedwagon talk about you.”

Joseph found himself smiling at her. After all, it was the polite thing to do to smile at a cute lady. He straightened his back and looked at Caesar before his eyes trailed back towards the smaller girl. “Oh, yeah! I’m new here. So, who are you?”

“Oh, me? I’m Suzie Q! I’m the town’s doctor, so just come to me if you get really hurt,” Suzie Q smiled before going over to Caesar and helping him out with the logs. She wanted to help them carry them to Ms. Lisa Lisa, however, she couldn’t leave her station. Someone could have come at any time and it would be an example of a bad work ethic and even dangerous to be absent during that time. Of course, she was at least going to let them rest for a while before they continued on. He thanked her with a silent grin as he moved to sit down. She also moved to help with Joseph’s logs after she had set down some of the logs that the other male was carrying. She set them down near her desk. “You doing okay?”

“Of course. You should worry about yourself more. You know, you tend to overwork yourself, especially around this time of year. Take some time to cool off and calm down, alright?” he said, looking back at her. She seemed a bit shocked at this but laughed at his comment. After all, it was quite obvious that he was always tired and overworking himself as well. Even Joseph, who had only known him for just a week, could see it in his eyes, but he seemed to be much more relaxed today.

“Says you. You’re always working yourself to the bone on that farm of yours. Just make sure that you don’t get hurt out there, alright? Hey, you even have this new guy helping you out, so it’ll be much easier for you,” she giggled softly as she turned from her desk, taking some files off of her desk and putting them back in their correct cabinets. She grabbed other files from the same drawer and pulled them out, going back to her desk with a pen. Her medical clinic wasn’t occupied, usually. The town was small and everyone was relatively careful. There was the occasional case of people hurting themselves on accident, but that was pretty rare.

Joseph wasn’t sure if he should take offense to that or not. After all, he just figured out that she had practically just called him the other’s worker. He wasn’t even getting paid for that! He just wanted to make sure that the poor guy didn’t tire himself out too much. Besides, he was a young adult and had plenty of energy. He was a late bloomer in terms of energy surges, so he must have had that teenaged energy leftover from when he was a bit younger. “Hey! I don’t work for Caesar! I’m not even getting paid.”

Suzie Q gave him a weird stare, looking up from her paperwork. Perhaps she might have been mistaken, but she figured that he was working for him since he seemed like he was being dragged along all over town. Well, if that was the case, she had another question to ask. “Oh, sorry about that. I thought you were working for him since you seem like you’re being dragged by him. But why are you working with him if you don’t work for him? Sorry if I’m being too nosy, I just want to hear the reason why.”

“Ah. Well,” he started off. Caesar was looking at him expectantly. Even he was waiting for an answer? Well, he should probably come up with a pretty good damned reason to be working for him. Otherwise, it might look weird. Telling the truth wouldn’t be weird, right? So, he cleared his throat and continued talking. “He kind of just seemed tired all the time, so I thought it would be a good idea to help. I mean, I thought it was a good idea, but damn, you do so much work! Do you even have time to take a break?! I mean, you make dinner as well! I’m already tired just from doing this much.”

A small laugh came from the other blonde. He leaned back in his seat, moving his gaze from Joseph to look down in his lap. Yes, it was true that he had buried himself in work, never allowing for a moment of relaxation, but he was used to all of the chaos of his daily life. Well, he was a bit more relaxed today because he had someone helping him. That was something he appreciated. “Well, I think that you’ll get used to it. It’s just daily life working on the farm, I guess.”

“Ugh, I guess…” Joseph trailed off before Suzie Q looked up at them. He wondered what she was thinking about their conversation. Eyes looked between them, going back and forth before she gave a knowing smile towards Caesar. He seemed to grimace before looking away from her, standing up suddenly. He didn’t have much time to think about it, as he was already being dragged out with the logs in between his arms.

“That’s enough relaxing. We’re going,” he said. She giggled, looking back at him, waving as he started walking out. From where Joseph stood, he could see Caesar’s cheek marks grow a bit pinker. Well, that was probably his imagination. Oh well, they needed to deliver this anyway. They trekked up the path, north towards the hill and past it, going towards where the carpenter’s shop would be. Once they got there, the Italian opened the door, a brunette who seemed a bit familiar to Joseph was at the front. For a brief second, he wondered who she was. But then again, he couldn’t dwell on it for too long. Instead, he decided to focus on the fact that she was collecting the wood from them. He handed her the logs in his hands, smiling thankfully. This time, he decided to introduce himself. “I’m Joseph Joestar! It’s nice to meet you. I’m just going around with this loser, you know, just helping him with chores.”

“I’m not a loser,” Caesar retorted, rolling his eyes. He didn’t want to mess around with Ms. Lisa Lisa there, who was like a mentor to him when he first moved into the small village. She helped him get set up, practically giving him what he needed. He was overly thankful for her help and wanted to show the utmost respect for her. With the brunette around, however, that was going to be hard. “But, yes. I’m taking him around the town so he can help me and meet everyone. This is Ms. Lisa Lisa.”

“Yes, you are. You’re the biggest loser,” he grinned softly, looking back at the lady. She didn’t seem up for fooling around, that was for sure. She started to set down the logs and stared at Joseph for a little while. Was this just a technique to make it awkward? Well, whatever it was, it sure was getting awkward. He wanted to just get this over with, especially since she looked like she was about to start talking down to him.

“Thank you, Caesar. I suppose I should properly introduce myself. I am Lisa Lisa. As you can tell, I run this carpenter’s shop. Now, you two should get back to the farms and work on other things. You shouldn’t waste any spare moments with waiting around” she said, almost like it was a command. Of course, Joseph was confused. He was even more boggled when Caesar seemed to be taking the harsh treatment so lightly. From what he could conclude, she was someone important to him. He normally made it a point to argue back with whatever Joseph did, but he seemed to hold an immense amount of respect for the curvaceous lady.

Again, he found himself following behind the blonde, who seemed to be tired. He could tell that his movements weren’t as active as they were earlier that day. He also noticed that his shoulders slumped a bit, but they also looked tensed. Who knew that even in living in the same peaceful town, someone could get tired of it. He could relate some of that to his office job back in the big city. That job was repetitive and something that he dreaded going to, which was why he took this opportunity to be able to live a more peaceful life. Maybe he could share his own charms with at least someone in the valley. “Hey, are you okay? You seem tired. Maybe you should rest up a bit when we get back. You know, like a nap or something.”

He seemed to give it some thought, which was more than what he was expecting initially. He was expecting to get immediately shut down by the idea of taking a break. It was like it was a concept that he was incapable of, at times. But he did see some rare moments where he did unwind. It was normally when the television was turned on, staring at what little channels were available and on the screen. The contempt in his eyes shone brightly whenever he was on that dusty couch. Once again, that spark of something fond came back into his eyes as he gave a soft smile. It made Joseph’s heart beat a little faster than before. He couldn’t wrap his head around the idea that this was what made his heart pump. Just the smallest expressions from Caesar somehow affected him in an intense way. “Alright. I think I will take a nap.”

If he had a camera, he would take a picture of his face at that moment. Joseph had never seen something or someone as beautiful as that. It made him smile;e himself as they continued to walk back towards their small, shared house.

\--------

The end of spring was near, which meant that it was finally time for the Flower Dance. At first, Joseph had never heard of it. Then, somewhere along the lines, Caesar had ended up explaining it to him. It was a small festival to celebrate the spring flowers finally blooming. It was also supposed to bring the small community close together. At first, he found the idea to be a bit lame, but then he realized that he could probably dance with someone. Whoever he would dance with, he’d probably have to ask. Well, it wasn’t like he was close to anyone in the town, except for the blonde himself. He would probably have to consider his options before asking someone to dance. There weren’t many bachelors and bachelorettes that he could choose from, so he would probably have to pick one that he was close to. 

He had to dress up in a suit and dress pants. The tie was tightly fastened around his neck to the point where he felt like it could strangle him. Shoes were also a big problem for him, they were tight on his toes, which was irritating. But at least they did have some shoes that fit relatively well. Because of his massive size, he had a harder time finding the right shoes. Thankfully, they did have his size somewhere. The entire outfit made him feel stuffy and posh, but then again, he was born into a wealthy family. He should have been used to fancy outfits, however, he wasn’t spoiled growing up. He was treated normally, just like any other child from a moderately stable family would be treated. 

Knowing the area well enough to be able to get to where he needed to be, he started walking towards the Cindersap forest. It was supposed to be magical, in a sense. He could see that for himself, though. As he walked through, the thick and dense leaves made the scenery stunning. After getting to the area where everyone else was, he greeted a few people there. Lisa Lisa was strict as always, almost disregarding whatever he said. There was no way he was getting anywhere with her. So, he moved onto Suzie Q. She honestly seemed more interested in the nature around them. Before he could even ask her if she wanted to dance, she had told him she would much rather watch the dance than dance herself. So, she was a bust as well. Moving to Smokey, he was enjoying playing with the children of the village. Maybe he could leave him alone to do that. 

The last person, the one he dreaded asking to dance with him, was Caesar. There were numerous reasons as to why he didn’t want to dance with him. One of the main reasons was because he didn’t want to seem like an idiot. After all, he didn’t really know how to dance all too well. At least, not in a formal dance. He groaned softly to himself but started approaching Caesar. He was set off to the side, watching the children run around and play with Smokey. Maybe he wanted to play with the children as well? No, he didn’t seem like he wanted to be apart of that. Instead, he just started to come up to him. Staying casual would probably do him wonders, but he was always nervous in situations like these. “Uh, hey, Caesar?”

“Are you asking me to dance with you?” he asked. It sounded like he as already starting to reject him, but he still had to put up a strong face. He seemed to be relaxed as ever, leaning on the fence behind him. Right now, his hair was neatly done. Instead of the usual messy look he had gone for, he instead had it brushed out and combed nicely. He could admire some good hair when he saw it, and his hair was great! Joseph’s, on the other hand, would never stay put, no matter how much time and effort he tried to put into it.

“Uh, I mean… yeah? I’m kind of trying to ask you to dance. It’s fine if you don’t want to, but I already asked everyone else and…” he trailed off, looking at him hopefully. Maybe he would dance with him out of pity, just so that he didn’t seem awkward and alone in the corner. Or, maybe he actually wanted to dance with him. Dancing with someone sounded fun, giving it a try wouldn’t be so bad. Hopefully, it was the latter option so he didn’t have to embarrass himself. Either way, he was prepared for an answer.

“Yes. I’ll dance with you. I figured that no one wanted to dance with me either, I was just waiting for someone to ask. I probably would have danced with Suzie Q, like I did last year, but she said she would rather watch this year,” he said, almost sounding like he was grumbling about it. Well, at least Joseph had gotten the answer he wanted! That was a victory for him.

“Wait, really? I mean, Woah... I thought you would rather die before you danced with me!” he said, holding back a small fit of laughter. It was a laugh of disbelief, of course. After all, he didn’t even believe that he was hearing the blonde correctly. So, he restated his question again. “So, just to make sure, you want to dance with me? Like, me and not some other clone of me who’s somehow really good at dancing, right?”

“No, I just so happen to be mistaking you for your clone,” he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Of course, he was joking and from his tone of voice, the younger male could obviously tell that he was joking. Though he did have his own worries and anxieties, he was confident in his own ability to at least be able to dance. It was a simple dance. Even throughout the entire week, Caesar took the liberty to teach him the dance, as he had told him that he couldn’t dance. Hopefully, those small sessions where they would laugh and mess up more than anyone could plausibly mess up was going to be worth his time. If he could impress him with actually having a successful dance throughout the entirety of it, he figured that it would be a success in his book. At least he wasn’t a complete lost case! “Of course I’m dancing with you. Come on, we should get to the center. Everyone else is gathering together.”

From where he was, Joseph could see everyone crowding together around the middle. Some of the people that he had gotten to know, Suzie Q, Smokey, even some people that he had met before, but didn’t like. They weren’t his friends. Actually, he despised them, as they were always irritating and snarky towards him. It wasn’t like how Caesar liked to tease, they just meant to insult. They called themselves the Pillar Men, as they thought they could hold the entire world together and be the foundation of a new era, just like a roman building, which was pretty stupid. Regardless, he wanted to pay no attention to them. He’d much rather have a good time dancing with Caesar. They walked to the center, along with several other bachelors and bachelorettes. They even forced some of them together, as they didn’t have enough people to properly start. So, even if some of them didn’t want to dance, they were being dragged into the center to dance.

When the music turned on, Joseph started to gently hold onto his waist while Caesar started to move his hands towards his shoulders. Stepping side to side, they sway gently as the music played on in the background. They started stepping in a square, swaying like that as he tried to stay serious. At least it was working, but he also wanted to tease him about dancing with him out of all people. Regardless, He started taking his hand to spin him, grinning softly. It was nice, seeming to actually enjoy himself. It gave him a feeling of satisfaction and a tinge of something he couldn’t quite put his thumb on. They went back into their positions, swaying together for a few more moments before he moved his hand to his back and leaned forward, which in turn, dipped the older. With them so close together, he could properly see the markings on his face. They were a soft shade of baby pink and stood out on his face, so he wanted to touch them. Of course, he couldn’t do that unless he asked, which he didn’t want to sound weird while doing.

He pulled him back up and continued dancing until the end of the song. Once it was finished, he let Caesar turn around and press his back against his back to finish off the dance. Everyone that was on the dance floor was doing the same thing, while people on the sidelines clapped for them. For a few moments, his face flushed at the thought of keeping him there like this for a while. He did let go, however, after a few seconds. His face must have been flushed a bright pink, as he could feel it heating up. “You did good, for someone who just learned this last week.”

“Hah! You thought I couldn’t do it! Well, I did it!” the taller male said, raising his arm up in the air in victory. Sure, the accomplishment didn’t seem like much, but he was proud of it. After all, he wasn’t used to dancing before this experience. They soon started to go back to where they were, generally just talking about how they were feeling, making small talk like this was easier. He just hoped that Caesar was having a good time throughout the festival, that was all he could ask for.

\---------

It had been a few weeks after the Flower Dance festival. Currently, it was getting considerably late and Caesar had only just started cooking. Watching him take out a pan, he smiled as he started to work. He had said that he was going to take it down a notch with the food that he normally served, which was just fine with the younger man. Anything that he cooked was delicious in itself. Though, he wanted to be able to see just exactly what he was cooking. So, like any normal person, he stood up and trekked himself over to the kitchen. A warning look came from the older Italian, which made Joseph laugh nervously. He was horrible at cooking. It always ended up in a mess every time he tried. Though, that glint of a threat was removed from his eyes. Instead, they seemed to glower with potential. “This could be a good opportunity, don’t you think?”

“Uh, sure? But for what?” he asked, a bit dumbfounded as to what he was suggesting. For as smart as he was, he could also be very oblivious to what others were suggesting, especially when he wasn’t thinking about it. The blonde turned on the fire, the ticking of it going off before the flame started. 

“Cooking, of course. You suck at cooking, I’m not putting that lightly any time soon. Since the dish I’m planning on making is very simple, you can help out. Watch me do the actual cooking, and you put in everything. This could be revolutionary, think about it. Joseph Joestar finally learns how to cook something without burning it. Maybe it’ll be in the big news headlines,” he teased, elbowing his side gently. Of course, the aforementioned mad didn’t take too kindly to this.

“Wow, you wound me! How dare you insult my cooking skills. I have the skills of a master chef, I’ll have you know!” he said, grinning ear to ear. The light mockery of each other was something that they could ironically bond over. Maybe it was something that the two of them had, the chemistry that they had formed together. It wasn’t like any other friendship that the brunette had ever been apart of. It felt almost surreal. Emotions were complicated when put in this sense, he couldn’t explain why his heart pounded when he spoke to him in such a private setting.

“Sure, sure. You’ll have to prove that now. Can you cut up the vegetables? I just want to see if you cut yourself or not. If you do, you really are a lost cause,” he said, leaning back on the counter next to the stove. He grabbed an olive oil bottle before opening it, pouring a bit in there. Well, all he had to do was chop up some vegetables. It couldn’t be so hard, right? After all, he had helped Erina with cooking when he was younger. Surprisingly, he had never picked up any of her cooking skills but was decent with the cutting. So, he pulled out a cutting board and a decently sharp knife from the drawers. He started cutting up the onions first, peeling off the outermost skin before chopping it up diligently. There was the slight urge to bite into it, just to freak the other out, but he decided that he wouldn’t like that, especially since it would be going into their food. After putting the onions in the pan, he chopped up the red bell pepper, being careful not to stab himself. He remembered the cuts that he would get as a little kid. They stung, so he didn’t want to knick himself again.

As he poured that in, he smiled and prepared the zucchini as well. He passed it over to the blonde, who waited for about two minutes before pouring them in. Already, it was starting to smell good. He found his mouth watering at the scent and he couldn’t wait to eat some, even if it was all going to be just vegetables. He could see the garlic and asked the blonde if he should do anything with it. He told him to mince it, which he had no idea what that meant. Well, he looked behind him with a confused face. “What’s mincing?”

“You seriously don’t know what mincing garlic is? You really have never cooked in your life,” he chuckled softly, leaving the stove alone for a little bit. After all, it was probably going to take just a minute or two of explaining. He moved his hands over him hesitantly, but Joseph didn’t seem to notice that it was a bit delayed. This was what he used to do with his younger siblings, place his hands on theirs and teach them what to do while cooking. They must have been older now, judging from how long he had been here. “Here, I’ll do this for you just so you get used to the hand motions. It’s what I used to do for my little siblings.”

“Do you miss them?” he blurted out, looking towards his side. The garlic’s peel was already off, so he didn’t need to worry about getting the skin minced in as well. Cool hands moved his own warm ones, chopping up the garlic into small pieces. Caesar didn’t say anything, staying silent as he chopped it all up with him. Well, that probably wasn’t the right thing to say. Maybe something in his past had affected him. “I mean, you probably miss them, but-”

“Yes, I do. They’ve always been there, even if they had no idea what was going on with me. A bunch of little devils, yes, but they’re good kids. I haven’t seen them in years. They must have grown up a lot,” he said, smiling fondly to himself. Well, the memories must have been nice. The brunette never had any siblings. His mother and father had both died, from what he was told. Though, the care provided by his grandparents was always enough for him. He was curious, however, as to how his parents had passed. 

As they finished mincing the garlic up, the older man moved his hands off of his, gathering the minced pieces and put them into the pan. The wooden spoon on the side was quickly used, picking it up and mixing it all in. He then got the corn, basil, salt, and Italian seasoning. Putting them all in, he stirred it all together until it was all heated before he got some cheese from the refrigerator while he platted the food. Sprinkling some cheese on, he grinned to himself. “Looks really good.”

“It’s a simple recipe. At least now you know how to do something as basic as this, right?” the blonde said, moving the plates to the table. They sat down at the dinner table, which caused Joseph to start immediately digging into his meal. Caesar, on the other hand, smiled as he started to eat his own.

“Sure, you can say that. Does that mean I can-”

“No.”

\---------

Sitting down on the side of the dock, he looked out at the ocean. It glowed back, blobs of jelly floating in the water. It was the night of the Moonlight Jellies, which was supposed to be celebrated just by watching them. Of course, it was beautiful to watch, but he would much rather watch Joseph observe the jellies. His face and body were hit with the subtle blue glow, his smile reaching as far and wide as it could. If he could put it into words, astonishing came to mind. Or handsome would work as well, but it made him look almost magical. “Caesarino, look at all of them! I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

“Well, I don’t think you can see them in the big city. You’re lucky to be here,” he said, leaning back a bit. He watched as the brunette stared down into the water. When had these feelings even started? It must have been when they had started to spend some quality time together as friends. As much as he wanted to disregard the fact that he was in love, he couldn’t. All too often, he caught himself watching him hard at work on the fields or messing around with the new dog that they had. 

“Yeah, the big city kind of sucks compared to this. You actually have to really work for a reward, but it feels good to be doing something other than office work,” he said, leaning forward towards the water. The other wasn’t paying attention, so he couldn’t see the brunette slowly move his hand into the water to try and touch them. When he did poke his hand onto the jellyfish, the floating tentacles wrapped around his finger, stinging it. Once he pulled his hand back in pain, he started trying to blow large puffs of air on it. “Ow! Caesar, it stung me!”

On his own sibling-like instinct, he quickly reached over to grab his hand, pulling it towards his own face to get a good look at it. As he whined in the background, he pressed it to his lips, giving a kiss. Just like how he would with his siblings. At first, he didn’t even realize what he was doing, but when he noticed that he just kissed his hand, he felt his face grow hot as he let go. Ultimately, he felt like an idiot. He started stumbling on his words, flustered. “I- Wait, that was… Sorry, that’s just an instinct I have from my younger siblings.”

“It still hurts! Kiss it better?” he asked, holding out his hand while trying to wiggle it around. Sighing, he looked back at his hand before leaning in to kiss it again. This was almost infuriating with how much his cheeks were flushed and how embarrassed he was. What if someone came by to see? Especially Suzie Q or Lisa Lisa. He would never hear the end of it if that were the case. Really, he had to make sure that he was okay, so he stood up and started to walk over to where the local doctor was, dragging the taller and younger brunette with him.

He showed her the other’s hand, sighing to himself. To tell the truth, he was really worried that it would affect his health in any negative way. Suzie Q seemed to see the swelling on his finger and looked at it, trying to assess the situation. After she gave it a good thought, she smiled softly. “He’s going to be fine, probably just have to wrap it when you get home.”

“Alright, thanks, Suzie. I stop paying attention for one second and this is what you get yourself into, JoJo. I swear, sometimes you’re more than just a handful,” he said, grumbling to himself. Internally, he was just glad that nothing serious would happen to him. He started going back to their original spot since that was a better place to watch the jellyfish float by. Soon, the other man came to sit next to him once again, still intrigued by the water’s glow, but was now facing Caesar. 

“Hey, Caesar? I don’t know if this is a good time for this or not, but I gotta tell you something,” he said, trailing off at the end. Turning to face him, he gave a questioning look. Of course, with a request like that, he was interested in what he had to say. It made his heart pound, addressing him like this. It seemed like it was something that was bothering the younger as well. He let him continue on with what he was saying. “So, I’m like ninety-nine percent sure this is gonna make things awkward and stuff, but… Ah, fuck it. You said life’s short, right? I might as well come clean. I like you. I kind of figured it out like— a little bit ago. Maybe last month or something? Whatever, it doesn’t matter when.”

At first, he wasn’t sure how to process what he was hearing. It didn’t register in his brain for a few moments. Did he hear that right? The charming, yet annoying and childish man said that he liked him? Someone who was always busy at work and could barely give any time for anyone? It made his heart pound faster against his ribcage. His breathing picked up ever so slightly. So, he could only answer with one thing. “Me too.”

“What? No, not in the bro way. Like… it’s more than that. It’s—”

“I know. I’m not stupid, I’m saying that I feel the same,” he said, looking back at the water. It became silent for a few moments. Did he mess up by saying something back? Or was he supposed to give it more thought? He had been thinking about this for far too long to just continue waiting. No, he wasn’t going to wait anymore. But the silence, unlike how it usually was, was awkward.

“So, uh… Cool? Yeah, that’s chill with me. ‘Cause I’ve been thinking about it for a long time already and I’m really impatient. You know how I am,” he said, awkwardly laughing while he moved his hand to rub the back of his neck. It felt like they were some high school girls, or something similar to it.

He laughed a bit out of the sheer awkwardness. It was funny, all too funny to him. Moving his hands behind his back to lean and support his weight, he stared out into the water. It was really beautiful, but his mind was unfocused. So many thoughts were swirling in his mind It almost felt like he was going to go crazy. But, he figured that he wasn’t the case since he was still sane. “Yes, I know how you are. Very stubborn and impatient.”

“Hey! Don’t laugh at me. I’m trying to be serious with you!” he said in a louder tone. Noticing the people turning to look at him, the brunette finally toned his voice down. As powerful as he was with his voice, he needed to be quiet right now. It was supposed to be an intimate moment. Caesar certainly found himself entranced by the man, even if the other didn’t know it. “I’m just saying that I like you, ya know? Like, a lot a lot. And now that you just said you feel the same, I don’t really know what else to say.”

“Just say whatever you want to. If we’re talking about feelings, then I’d think it would be better. Be honest rather than keeping some things to yourself in situations like this,” he said. Truthfully, if he had followed his own advice, he would be saying what he wanted to. It was just that he was embarrassed, even if he had already confessed and knew that the feeling was reciprocated. Joseph also wanted to point that out, but he bit his tongue. Teasing him wasn’t the right move at this exact moment. Maybe later, but not right now.

“I mean, alright, I guess. Don’t judge me if I say anything weird, though,” he replied, furrowing his brows in slight frustration. It wasn’t particularly at anyone, mainly to himself. So, he started talking. “I think it’s always been there. I mean, we’ve been living together for a while now. Six months or something now? I dunno, I’ve just always seen you do all those cool things, like farming or whatever. Even cooking! I thought I was jealous before, but I kinda figured it out now. And ever since then, I can’t stop thinking. Like, weird things like holding your hand and kissing you and stuff. I’m pretty sure it’s just me being dumb.”

There was a bit of confusion from the man. He wasn’t sure what he should do, considering that he was just told that he was at least decent at doing his job. Compliments usually never phased him, but with the American, it was a different story. His face grew even redder and the corner of his lips lifted up just slightly, showing a fond grin. “Thank you. I don’t really think doing all those things is something that only I can do, though.”

“Yeah, but you’re different. It’s all weird and different when I’m with you. But, now that you told me you like me back, I… really want to kiss you,” he murmured the last part, looking at him. Of course, he wouldn’t pressure him into kissing him, but he would really enjoy a kiss or two. Or a lot more than just that. Love was a bit more than just frustrating. “I mean, we can take it slow if you want to—”

“Just shut up for a second. Come here and kiss me already,” he said. And his smile made Joseph’s own smile just a bit wider, a toothy grin showing through. Moving closer, he started leaning down to kiss Caesar. For a moment, he thought about announcing it, just to make sure that he was really okay with kissing. But, he figured that he would have definitely hit him on the head for taking so long. So, he just went for it, tilting his head so that he wouldn’t bump their noses together. With the last ounce of confidence left, he pressed his lips onto his.

It wasn’t like how the movies said it would feel like. No, it wasn’t loud fireworks and shimmering sparkles of true love. It was much softer than that. His stomach felt like he wanted to hurl, though. People normally called the feeling “butterflies in his stomach”, however. Not like he cared for whatever it was called. Whereas the beautiful Italian’s lips were soft and smooth, his own lips felt dry and cracked. That probably wasn’t pleasant to kiss, but then again, he was kissing back, pressing himself closer to him. Joseph’s hands found themselves wrapped around his back while Caesar continued to lean back.

Eventually, he had to pull away. Not because he wanted to, but because he figured that kissing like this for too long would be awkward, especially for a first kiss. Before this, he had never kissed anyone. After all, why would he? It wasn’t like he was close to anyone back at home. The only people he was actually close to were his grandparents. So, he was glad to be able to get out and make good friends like Suzie Q and Lisa Lisa. He was also glad that he could find someone to love like how he wanted to for so many years. Their faces were only mere inches away, so he took the time to stare into those light green eyes that he loved so much. “Woah…”

“You’ve never kissed anyone before?” he asked, raising a brow to signal that he was questioning him. What kind of question was that? Of course, he hadn’t kissed anyone before, let alone get even remotely close to romance. Though, he had fallen in love with a few girls during his high school years. He just never worked up the courage to tell them. It made him wonder how he got the courage to ask Caesar out, really. “I’ve never even dated before. Why, how many people have you kissed before?”

“Well, I had kissed a few girls back in Italy, but I’ve never been attracted to them. This would technically be considered a first kiss with someone I liked,” he said, staring into his vibrant blue eyes. Under normal circumstances, he would have retorted with something, but instead, the blonde had leaned up to press their lips back together for a shorter, yet sweet kiss. 

Once again, they pulled away. Moving his right hand away from his waist to move it towards the blonde’s cheek, he cupped it, thumb brushing over the pink little marks below his eyes. It felt intimate in a way he couldn’t describe. It lead to him mumbling to himself. “You’re really pretty like this, did you know that? Just wanted to tell you that.”

“Well, you’re pretty handsome yourself,” he said, giving a breathy laugh as the brunette’s sharpened face grew red with embarrassment, but the compliment boosted his already inflated ego. He let go of his cheek and dramatically sighed, leaning back on the dock. The water’s glow had slowly faded, meaning that the Jellyfish were slowly but surely moving on to where ever they needed to be.

For the rest of the night, both of the boys found themselves thinking about each other. It almost felt like a temporary bliss, something of the sort. After all of the jellyfish had left, everyone had started leaving. Of course, Joseph and Caesar went to their small farmhouse together, hand in hand. They sat down on the couch, close to one another as they talked. It was mostly about their adventures together up until that point. The brunette was proud to be able to say that he found someone he loved. It was something he thought he would never accomplish in his life. At least it wasn’t true. He finally had someone that he could talk to about everything and anything. Six months had passed by since he moved there. Those six months were some of the best in his life. If he ever got the chance to see his grandfather again, he would thank him for having such a wonderful opportunity. Yes, it was hard work, but it paid itself off in the form of bonding with his lover. Maybe, just maybe, he really did meet an angel on that faithful January morning.

**Author's Note:**

> if you made it this far, thank you so much! i’m glad that you enjoyed it enough to make it through the long read. this is really my first time actually sharing fanfiction within the jojo’s fandom! i might do more with this au if anyone wants to help with ideas. could have made this a lot longer, but chose not to. anyway, have a great day and feel free ask me for requests!
> 
> social media:  
> tumblr: joseshiza  
> discord: muda mom#3458 (please tell me that you’re from ao3 when contacting me via discord, don’t want any bots following me)


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